Double Dating with the Dead by Karen Kelley (best fiction novels to read .txt) 📗

crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow. “Ya think?”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

She shrugged and went to her room. She could hear him talking to Winnie from the top of the stairs as she went inside and began gathering her clothes.

“I’m not having sex this morning,” she singsonged dejectedly under her breath. “I’m going to kill my mother.”

No, she wouldn’t, but the thought did skitter across her mind as she grabbed clothes and hurried to the bathroom. She took the quickest bath of her life. She certainly couldn’t go downstairs smelling as though she’d had sex half the night.

Thank goodness they’d straightened the kitchen before going to bed.

There was only one good thing about all this. Mom had brought chocolate-glazed doughnuts. She was starved.

Nothing new.

Trent was standing outside the bathroom door as she came out. Her heart skipped a beat, and for just a second, she couldn’t move.

“We could’ve saved water and bathed together,” he told her with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

Her thoughts jumbled around inside her head. “I…uh…” Her nipples tightened as an ache began to build inside her. Oh, Lord, she could almost feel his mouth sucking on one breast, then the other.

“Later.” He eased around her and shut the door.

She drew in a deep breath. She’d kill him! Right after she ravaged his body. That was it. She’d screw him until he croaked.

Great, now she had all these sexually charged thoughts flying around inside her head, and she was about to go downstairs and talk with her mother.

So not good.

“Ass,” she said to the closed door.

She heard him chuckle.

Shaking her head, she trotted down the stairs. Later. Trent had said later. She would hold him to that. Oh, yeah, she’d definitely hold him to that.

Boy, could she pick her relationships or what? If she wasn’t talking to the dead, she was having sex with the one man who could ruin her career. No, she wouldn’t let that happen.

But on the other hand, she’d have to ruin his.

Poor Trent.

She went into the kitchen, dropping a kiss on top of her mother’s head as she aimed toward the coffeepot. “Morning, Mom. Morning, Winnie.”

“Hello, dear. The coffee is fresh.”

“So nice to see you again, Selena.”

All conversation had halted when she entered. Hmm, they’d probably read the article and wondered what was up.

She poured a cup of coffee and took it to the table where she pulled out a chair and joined them. The coffee smelled great. She blew across the liquid and took a drink. This was wonderful. Not as strong as Trent’s but nearly as good. It didn’t really matter how it tasted as long as it had lots of caffeine.

They weren’t talking. Her mother always talked. Something was in the air. She looked between them. Her mother quickly cast her gaze down to her folded hands.

“Okay, what’s up?”

“Oh, nothing,” Angela said and picked a chocolate doughnut from the box, took a bite, then licked the chocolate off the side of her mouth.

“You read the article, right?”

“What article would that be, dear?”

She slowly let out her breath. Off the hook for now. But still, something was going on.

“I know that look, and believe me, it doesn’t mean ‘nothing.’ You have something up your sleeve, so pull it out.” She took a doughnut from the box and bit into it. Delicious. They had the best bakery in Garvey County.

“I’m going to work for Winnie.”

Selena choked. “You’re what?” She hurried on before her mother could say anything else. “You can’t go to work for Winnie. Have you both lost your minds? Trent will have a heart attack.”

Winnie straightened. “I’m still his mother, and I won’t allow him to have a heart attack. Besides, I like Angela. We suit. My assistant gave her notice—she’s going back to college—and I’ll need some help.”

“Antiques.” Angela’s face glowed. “You know how I love antiques.”

“Fine,” she said after taking a drink of coffee to wash down the doughnut that hung in her throat. What the hell were they doing? “Trent is really going to love this.”

Footsteps came toward the kitchen.

Speak of the devil.

“We don’t plan to tell him just yet,” Winnie frantically whispered as her bravado of only a moment ago disappeared. “We’ll ease him into it.”

“Cowards,” Selena mumbled, but stopped herself from saying anything more when she noted Winnie looked a little green around the gills.

“Good morning, ladies,” Trent said as he strolled into the kitchen.

Winnie shot a warning look at Selena. “Good morning.”

Angela hesitated, then smiled. “Good morning, Trent.”

Her mother was smiling at Trent. Amazing. Winnie must’ve made one hell of an impression on her mother. Angela was actually being civil.

Selena shook her head as she looked from one mother to the other. Angela would call this fate. Maybe it was. Who could really say for sure?

Trent poured a cup of coffee and took a drink. “Tastes wonderful.”

Angela’s smile widened. “Thank you. I made it.”

He ambled over to the box of doughnuts, but paused with his hand above it. “Do you mind?”

“Oh, no, help yourself.” Angela eased the box closer.

Oh, give me a break.

Her mother was trying to butter him up. Angela’s love for antiques was as strong as Selena’s, but Angela had no real head for business. This would be a wonderful opportunity to have the best of both worlds.

“I didn’t think you liked doughnuts for breakfast,” Winnie commented with raised eyebrows.

“I found that I enjoy something sweet first thing in the morning.”

Selena could feel the heat rising to her face. He’d looked at her from the corner of his eye, and she instinctively knew he wasn’t talking about the doughnut.

His meaning was loud and clear.

She wanted to crawl under the table. Fan herself with her hand. Jump his bones. Okay, maybe not jump his bones with her mother sitting across from her. She’d have to jump them later.

Thankfully, neither Winnie nor her mother found anything suspicious in his words.

He bit into the doughnut and chewed. “These are great.” He finished, then sucked the chocolate off each